What is CI/CD?
Continuous integration and continuous delivery/continuous deployment is part of the Agile or development and operations teams (DevOps); it aims to streamline workflows that form the backbone of a software development lifecycle. This greatly reduces the time taken when compared to traditional methods. The two components of this process are discussed below in detail.
Continuous integration
Continuous integration involves making continuous changes to the codebase of the application to create new builds by the developers. These builds are tested continuously to ensure the new code changes do not introduce any errors or bugs. Once automated testing is complete, developers can frequently merge code to the main branch. Continuous integration powered by automation ensures the code releases happen faster.
Continuous delivery/continuous deployment
Multiple software builds are tested simultaneously, and once they pass all the tests, they are pushed to the production stage. If this part is done manually, it is called continuous delivery. If the deployment process to push the builds to the production environments involves automation, then that process is referred to as continuous deployment.
What is the CI/CD pipeline?
Together, continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery or continuous deployment (CD) form the CI/CD pipeline. It is optimized with automation, which ensures the productivity of the software development, testing, and operations teams is maximized. While planning the Agile and DevOps sprints, the development, testing, and maintenance for all different software builds and possible future versions is assessed.
The different stages of the CI/CD pipeline
Any CI/CD pipeline, irrespective of the complex workflows and their integrations, comprises the following stages:
Source
The software development teams build a central repository which serves as the source for the codebase related to the software. The development cycle starts off with writing code in one or more programming languages, such as Java, C++, Python, and the like. The individual collaborators or developers commit to the source code after static code analysis based on the project's requirements to achieve continuous integration.
Build
After the individual commits to the codebase by the multiple developers, the software builds based on the addition of new features or bug fixes are primed for testing by being made available as packages and container images.
Test
The different versions of similar software builds undergo a battery of automated tests, for example, regression tests and any other set of specific testing that is exclusive to bug resolution or new feature addition. Irrespective of the different types of tests, continuous testing has a positive impact.
Deploy
Once the software builds are tested and the team is sure that the final stable version (release candidate) can be shipped to the end user, it is deployed to the production environment. Depending on the use of automation for deployment, continuous delivery or continuous deployment is covered.
In-depth analysis of a CI/CD pipeline
Let's understand the stages of the CI/CD pipeline better by discussing a real-world scenario related to a feature addition or bug fix. Based on the severity and priority of the bug, the project manager finalizes the resources and timeline for the different teams.
In traditional software development, the developers pull or clone code from the repository, which is created and managed on a developer platform for incremental code changes. With the advent of low-code software development platforms, developers do not have to worry about code failures as code changes in the backend can be done simply by dragging and dropping the required fields. In both scenarios of software development, this stage takes care of continuous integration, and software build is pushed for testing after approval.
The workflow in the pipeline initiates a basic set of automated tests, like unit tests and integration tests, based on recent changes to the codebase or code integration. After the initial testing, it automates the process of pushing the software builds for extensive testing, including regression testing, performance testing, and security testing. The cycle of code commit and testing is repeated until the software build passes all of the automated tests along with the additional set of tests.
Be it a bug fix or feature addition, once automated testing is done, the software build is considered production-ready if it meets all of the business requirements. Continuous delivery/continuous deployment deals with the deployment of build to the end users either as over-the-air (OTA) updates or as a standalone application.
Benefits of incorporating CI/CD in the software development life cycle
Adding CI/CD to the software development life cycle (SDLC) has the following benefits:
Faster feedback loops
A feedback loop begins from software development, followed by testing and sharing the feedback to the developers to work on fixes. The automated workflows contribute towards faster feedback loops.
Shorter cycles
Each process in the SDLC is planned in advance, thereby reducing the time taken for completion. All the dependencies and resource allocation for each stage of the sprints are addressed before the start of each cycle.
Streamlined operations
Simultaneous operations within the sprints and stringent deadlines for the individual operations ensure there is little to no deviation from the roadmap for the project.
Efficient use of resources
Extensive and dedicated planning ensures optimal use of resources irrespective of the CI/CD stage. Shorter sprints involving software development and testing use only the allocated resources for each iteration.
Better software output
The CI/CD process enables the simultaneous development and testing of the various software builds; the project owner has the option to check multiple builds before finalizing a release candidate.
Faster resolution
Once the bug report is shared with the development team, generally, multiple teams are assigned based on the nature of the bug(s) and their dependencies; the testing phase is expedited since code changes include all the different scenarios.
Challenges encountered in a CI/CD pipeline
The CI/CD pipelines, when planned and structured for maximizing efficiency and productivity, can yield desirable results, but this is not achieved without confronting a set of challenges.
Extensive planning
From the initial stages, CI/CD pipelines require a dedicated resource or team for managing all operations. Switching between the different stages and tracking all the concurrent operations while taking care of the redundancies is a tedious and ongoing process.
Resource-intensive
While the overall usage of resources is minimized compared to the traditional methods used for SDLC, CI/CD requires resources for carrying out simultaneous instances of tasks related to the individual software builds, both in development and testing.
Multiple builds
Various teams work on multiple builds simultaneously, and a sizable number of them do not make it to the production environments.
Communication
The teams continuously work on various software builds; lack of proper communication can lead to imbalance in the efforts and resources allocated for each task, resulting in undesirable outcomes.
Security
The software available to the end user undergoes multiple checks during security testing, but the software builds in the pipeline are vulnerable to security issues, especially if they have access to sensitive user data.
Monitoring
Managing the builds after each sprint inside the pipeline and keeping track of all the various changes is only possible with dedicated resource(s).
Expertise
Individual teams can collaborate with other teams to work on the assigned tasks, but tracking and managing the pipeline in its entirety requires expertise across multiple domains, including management.
Scalability
The CI/CD pipeline for the existing project is already complex, and it becomes further complicated when the project needs to be scaled.
Tips to optimize the CI/CD pipeline
The following tips address the challenges discussed above and greatly improve the performance of the pipeline.
Planning
Ideally, extensive planning should precede the start of every sprint for an efficient use of resources that contribute towards faster delivery.
Integrations
The integrations with project management tools, code repository, testing tools, and CI/CD tools enable the teams to analyze and collaborate across different domains easily.
Real-time monitoring
Each sprint is planned with a particular set of goals comprising multiple dependencies on previous sprints and tasks; real-time monitoring is the prerequisite for achieving apex performance and efficiency.
Software quality
The software development teams makes code change(s) to swiftly address issues and focus on moving code to the next stage, but this affects the possibility of producing quality code.
Version control
Version control helps with tracking code changes made to the shared source code repository and contributes to an improved user experience by facilitating rollback based on user feedback.
Automation
Automation is the preferred option for avoiding human errors and to save resources while carrying out automated workflows.
Parallelization
Parallelization is responsible for carrying out the synchronous operations in tandem without manual human intervention.
Parallel testing
The tests that are not dependent on other tests can be executed within a much shorter timeframe with parallel testing.
Cost reduction
Based on the usage of resources from the previous set of sprints, changes need to be incorporated for the optimal use of resources as it is directly proportional to cost reduction.
Secure sensitive data
The CI/CD pipeline has access to sensitive user information for effectively testing the software builds; these need to be secured and inaccessible to potential hackers.
Containerization
The software builds, when packaged as a container image, emulate the entirety of the application along with all of its files, dependencies, and even database scripts to run on the relevant systems without hassle. A tool like Red Hat OpenShift, Docker, and Kubernetes can be used for this purpose.
Effect of CI/CD on different roles
The traditional methods required a lot more time and resources for pushing software builds to the production environment. Switching to CI/CD had the following effect on the different roles:
Developer
Development teams witnessed a huge increase in developer productivity and development velocity.
Tester
It is easier for the quality assurance (QA) teams to automate continuous testing and multiple regression tests with feature flags.
DevOps engineer
Improved collaboration between teams contribute to overall improvements in product management.
Product manager
Streamlined real-time tracking and monitoring of every single operation across teams.
Why use CI/CD tools?
For a CI/CD pipeline to function properly, the skills of a project owner need to be accentuated with an efficient and robust CI/CD tool that can integrate with the development, testing, and project management tools. The CI/CD tool is responsible for enabling the teams to track and manage individual tasks efficiently inside the pipeline.
How to choose the right CI/CD tool
Choosing the right CI/CD tool can be the deciding factor in delivering an optimized workflow, which is responsible for achieving maximum efficiency for every output that makes it to the production environment. A CI/CD tool can be selected based on the following factors:
Ease of use
A good CI/CD tool is easy to install and comes with a shorter learning curve, therefore even a new user just has to put in minimal efforts to start using it in their project(s).
Compatibility
The CI/CD tool is expected to be compatible with a vast collection of tools and services for maximizing productivity. It should be able to support migration from other similar tools and seamlessly convert legacy projects.
Scalability
Scalability helps teams adapt to an increase in bandwidth associated with the increase in the scale of operations. The CI/CD tool should be flexible enough to support these changes.
Popular CI/CD tools for 2024
The right tool offers multiple benefits to ease tasks related to the CI/CD pipelines. The following are updated for modern application development in 2024:
Jenkins is an open-source software and most popular tools with an array of features. Most notably, It has an automation server with numerous plugins.
The user-friendly platform has a modern approach for integrating with major DevOps tools.
Bamboo provides an environment for development and testing, but deep integration with project management tools, like Jira, is an added advantage.
It is a cloud-based CI/CD solution hosted on GitHub, the most popular developer platform, making it easier to build and test projects.
TeamCity offers workflows for development and collaboration that aids in expedited delivery to production.
This is a Code repository for development with a focus on security which makes GitLab a viable option.
Buddy integrates with all major tools to provide a platform that is easy to learn and use.
How to set up a CI/CD pipeline with Zoho QEngine
Building your own CI/CD pipelines from scratch can be broadly classified into the following steps:
Choose the tools
Choose a CI/CD tool you prefer. This tool will provide an overview of the entire CI/CD pipeline. In this stage, you can plan the integrations with various tools and the selection of relevant resources.
Workflow setup
Set up the workflow to handle all stages of the pipeline. Start by creating a shared source code repository; developers can commit code changes to the main branch automatically using a continuous integration (CI) tool. The next step in the workflow is enabling testing followed by automated deployment towards the end.
Software builds
After code refactoring, the updated versions, which are considered ready for testing, are to be packaged as software builds. Set up the integrations with software(s) to enable automated builds for continuous delivery/deployment.
Testing tool
The software builds are to be tested multiple times on various aspects, and sometimes multiple builds are tested in parallel. Selecting the right test automation tool can help with parallel testing, self-healing, and of course, automation.
Deployment
The pipeline is incomplete without the implementation of continuous delivery and continuous deployment. The software builds, after testing, are to be deployed in marketplaces or as updates for the end user. While this stage can also be automated, continuous deployment is only possible after robust testing of individual software builds.
Conclusion
CI/CD is an integral part of modern application lifecycle management, which focuses on delivering faster and frequent stable software releases with less context switching. CI/CD helps developers leverage the benefits of CI, testers to focus on user experience with time testing, and product managers to monitor continuous delivery easily. Proper planning, the right tools, and integrations are key factors of the CI/CD pipeline to assure the teams of optimized software delivery every time.